Hewat Community Garden brings neighbors together

SALISBURY — Garden plots are available in the Hewat Community Garden, located at 30A Salmon Kill Rd in Salisbury. It is nestled in front of the building housing Salisbury Visiting Nurses and also Salisbury Family Services (SFS), which established the garden.

The garden has full sun and is enclosed by a fence to protect it from nibbling deer. Water, hoses, tools, garden carts, and a compost bin are available for the gardeners to use.

The center space contains a pollinator garden where bees and hummingbirds are already busy, and butterflies are expected. An herb garden is shared by the gardeners. A gazebo offers shade and a table with benches.

Mary O’Neill began planting at the garden when it started in 2013. The community spirit makes it especially attractive to her. “It’s really the camaraderie,” she said. “Chatting, getting knowledge. I also like that my family is eating something that I grew.”

Debbie Buckley began the following year. “My backyard became too shady to grow vegetables, especially tomatoes.” Debbie is now the volunteer manager of the garden and a resource for gardening advice. “The most important thing” she says, “is to get out there and have fun!”

“We are blessed to have Debbie. Without her organizing, there might not even be a garden. I call her our garden guru,” said Patrice McGrath, director of social services at SFS.

Carolyn Berry commented, “This is a wonderful place. When everything is in bloom, it’s amazing.”

Joanne Taber contributed, “I live at Noble Horizons and so I have too little land to create a vegetable garden. I love watching my vegetables grow.”

“Fresh tomatoes- big reason I enjoy the garden” said JoAnn Luning.

“In each plot, there is a different sensibility,” noted Patrice McGrath.Some grow only vegetables, only flowers, or some of each.

There are some rules, the main one being “leave things ready for the next person” explained Mary O’Neill.Clean up, put tools away, roll up hoses, keep your plot neat and weed free.Gardeners are also expected to help weed the herb and pollinator gardens.

A few plots are used to grow vegetables for The Corner Food Pantry. Gardeners also contribute surplus produce to the pantry.

The cost of a single plot is $30; a double is $50. If that is a hardship for anyone, help is available.

Contact Patrice McGrath at 860-435-5187 or pmcgrath@salisburyct.us for more information.

As Carolyn Berry said, “Now’s the time to get planting.”